DAR Speech Contest

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Every year, the seventh and eighth graders at Kennedy Junior High School are invited to participate in the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) speech contest. The guidelines of the contest are simple. Students write the introduction to an essay about a given prompt. The 2019 spring contest prompt is to choose a meaningful event and explain how it shaped America into what it is today. They then submit their introductions to the DAR society and the group chooses a select group of students with exceptional pieces to write the full essay and prepare it as a speech. Finalists in the contest will be announced sometime throughout the week of April 22nd.

The chosen finalists will perform their speeches in front of a panel of judges soon after. This portion of the contest will be held on May 14th (for eighth graders) and 15th (for seventh graders) after school. Winners of the contest will be announced shortly following the competition, and a range of cash prizes will be handed out. The prize for the first place winner is $50, so this tends to significantly increase the stakes of the competition for many participants.

Jeremy Zhao, an eighth grade participant, stated that he decided to engage in the contest because of a mix of “peer pressure” and because “it [sounded] interesting.” Though many students choose to compete because of the prizes involved, others may compete with a genuine interest in speech writing.

Everyone, whether participating or not, is looking forward to a round of intriguing orations, eagerly waiting for the results as the speakers finalize their pieces.